Gianfranco Zola is expecting his players to take the game to Birmingham City on Wednesday night.
The Blues arrive in east London with just one defeat in 18 matches - and that was to table-topping Chelsea - and with the luxury of having fielded an unchanged side for a dozen matches. Zola though is up for the fight and could hand home debuts to Mido and Ilan, as well as a recall to the fit-again Alessandro Diamanti
The manager has prepared his team carefully and assured they will be up for it at a packed Boleyn Ground. "Birmingham are developing a reputation as a tough team to beat," he said. "We have watched them very carefully.
"They are a very strong side. It is not going to be easy. We are determined, we are passionate about it. We are going to give it a very good go. We will see what comes out. The team is ready."
He repeated his call for strong fan backing, underlining how valuable they have been in recent weeks. "The fans have been fantastic for me and trust me I really enjoy what I am doing. I would love to give them all the satisfaction they deserve.
"That is why I feel sorry that we are in this position. We should have more points. Trust me we will give our best."
While Benni McCarthy is likely to miss out after a "kick on his knee" against Burnley at the weekend, the manager has also been boosted by the return to training of Guille Franco. Goals have been hard to come by of late, with just two scored in four league games since the turn of the year, but the manager is not worried.
"I would be more concerned if we weren't posing a threat to the opposition," he said. "The other day we could have come back at any time, we were very close. I think the team now has got more experience to pose a threat. That is something positive.
"Mido was excellent on Saturday. He came on with confidence, with quality and with strength. I was really impressed with his performance. Ilan was quite a surprise. He was alive and got into very good positions. He scored one goal and he also had a couple of other chances. They were quite good. I was pleased."
Regarding Frank Nouble's departure, the manager said his month-long loan at West Bromwich Albion would prove invaluable. "He needed to go somewhere and play, just to keep it going. He has been doing very well and he just needs to play and keep improving his confidence and experience."
The manager also spoke of the high confidence among the squad. "The players are very committed to what we do. They believe in it. They are determined. Obviously the game against Burnley was unexpected and it has been a big blow but the fighting spirit is there and I am never going to give up."
He acknowledged the club's owners David Sullivan and David Gold would be especially motivated and that such spirit had filtered throughout Chadwell Heath. "They are excited. They want to win the game. Everybody does, not just because of that but because we want to move up the table. In the Premier League there is not one game which you can think is easy.
"The players are focused on the job. They will do a good job. I am sure about that. Simple. We are just preparing and ready to play the game. We had just a quick chat to remind them that our job is to play and focus on the matters that concern us - scoring goals and helping the others to score goals."